Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed a sweeping overhaul of the UK asylum and immigration framework. In its policy paper “Restoring Order and Control,” released on 17 November 2025, the government outlines significant changes designed to expand powers to refuse entry, accelerate removals of failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders, and introduce a more restrictive and prolonged route to settlement. The plan sets out a new temporary protection model, tighter eligibility rules, and additional authority to return individuals if circumstances in their home country improve.
The paper also introduces major reforms relating to right-to-work checks, access to employment for asylum seekers, and new restrictions on bringing dependants. Recognised refugees will have limited opportunities to move into work or study routes that allow faster settlement, but the rules will be stricter than the current system. Overall, the proposals reshape nearly every part of the asylum process. These policies will be introduced gradually throughout the current parliament, with staged implementation planned for 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028.
The Home Secretary describes this programme as a reset of the UK’s asylum system. The aim is to shift from automatic long-term protection and broad state support towards temporary, conditional protection, tighter monitoring, and more assertive removals. Ministers have suggested that parts of the model are influenced by Denmark’s immigration approach.
What Are the UK’s New Asylum Rules?
The policy focuses on three main goals: reducing irregular arrivals, increasing removals, and reshaping safe and legal routes. Some of the central proposals include:
• Replacing automatic refugee settlement with a new “core protection” model
Individuals granted protection will receive an initial 30 months of leave, renewable only if the ongoing risk is proven. There will be no route to settlement until 20 years of continuous residence, making this one of the most restrictive settlement tracks in Europe.
• New Protection Work and Study route
Recognised refugees who meet specific employment or education criteria can exit the core protection system and qualify for faster settlement. Over time, they may sponsor family members, but under tighter eligibility rules.
• Removal of the legal duty to support destitute asylum seekers
The current obligation to provide financial and housing assistance will be replaced with discretionary support. Assistance may be refused or withdrawn for those who can work, have funds, deliberately make themselves destitute, or breach conditions.
• Mandatory contribution to support
Asylum seekers with savings or income must contribute to their own upkeep. The Home Office may recover money if undeclared funds are discovered.
• Ending hotel accommodation
Use of hotels will be phased out, with asylum seekers moved to larger designated sites, including former military bases.
• Increased enforcement against illegal working
Right-to-work checks will expand to cover the gig economy, platform workers, and subcontracted labour. A new digital identity check will become mandatory by the end of the current parliamentary term.
• Raising removal levels
The UK intends to resume returns to countries considered safer, including some where removals were previously paused (such as Syria). There will be return hubs in safe third countries and prioritisation of the removal of families.
• Visa penalties
Countries that refuse to accept their nationals back may face suspension of visa services or other restrictions.
• New appeals structure
The government plans to introduce a separate appeals body under a “single appeal” framework, with tighter deadlines and fast-tracking of low-merit or high-harm cases.
• Stricter Article 8 and modern slavery rules
The aim is to reduce reliance on family-life claims and prevent misuse of the modern slavery system while maintaining core protections.
• Annual caps on safe and legal routes
The Home Secretary will set a yearly resettlement cap. There will be expanded community sponsorship models and new capped routes for skilled refugees and refugee students.
Who Will Be Affected by the New Asylum Policies?
Recognised Refugees
People granted protection in the future will transition to the new “core protection” structure rather than the current five-year settlement pathway. Every 30 months, they will undergo reassessment. Their permission to stay may be cancelled if the government decides their home country has become safe. Refugees who qualify for the Protection Work and Study route may settle earlier, but under considerably stricter criteria.
Asylum Seekers Awaiting a Decision
At present, asylum seekers have a legal right to support if destitute. Under the new proposals, this becomes a discretionary system. Only those who genuinely cannot support themselves and comply with all conditions will receive assistance. Support may be withdrawn for rule breaches, criminal activity, or disruption in accommodation.
Children and Families
Family policies will be significantly tightened. Core protection will not automatically entitle refugees to family reunification. Family sponsorship will primarily be available to those entering longer-term work or study routes. For families whose claims are refused, pressure to leave will increase. Financial incentives for voluntary return (potentially around £3,000) will be offered, and the government may end support for families who refuse to depart without valid reasons.
People Working Without Permission & Their Employers
Enforcement will intensify, especially in sectors reliant on self-employed workers, platform labour, and cash-in-hand jobs. Employers will be subject to wider digital checks, and penalties for illegal work are expected to rise.
Failed Asylum Seekers & Foreign Offenders
The statement confirms a more assertive approach to removals. People whose claims are rejected will face quicker removal procedures, including returns to countries previously considered unsafe. Appeals and repeat claims will be fast-tracked.
Foreign National Offenders
Foreign criminals and other “high-harm individuals” will be prioritised for removal. Modern slavery claims will be scrutinised more tightly to prevent later use as a means of delaying deportation.
Sponsors, Community Groups & Institutions
Councils, charities, universities, and employers will have expanded roles in operating safe and legal routes. With annual caps in place, many resettlement pathways will depend heavily on community sponsorship. The new capped schemes for skilled refugees and refugee students aim to provide controlled, employment-based pathways into the UK.
When Will the Asylum Changes Come Into Force?
The proposals involve both immediate administrative changes and long-term legislative reforms. Several elements-such as updated modern slavery reconsideration processes and trials of new age-assessment technology already underway.
Major changes, including the core protection system, the 20-year settlement threshold, the removal of the statutory duty of support, adjustments to human rights legislation, and the creation of a new appeals body, will require primary and secondary legislation. Consultations on benefit access, family removals, and sponsorship rules are expected to continue into 2026.
Some operational deadlines-such as ending hotel accommodation and launching digital right-to-work verification, are tied to the end of the current parliamentary session rather than specific dates.
How Do the Asylum Plans Relate to the ECHR?
The statement does not indicate that the UK intends to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. Instead, it emphasises a “reset” of how Articles 8 and 3 are applied in asylum and immigration decisions.
• Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment)
Although Article 3 is absolute, the government aims to work with international partners to clarify what constitutes “inhuman or degrading treatment” to enable removals where risk is disputed.
The reforms are framed as operating within the ECHR framework but seek to narrow the scope of legal challenges and limit how human rights protections affect removal decisions.
Why Is the Government Making These Changes?
The Prime Minister and Home Secretary argue that rising asylum numbers, large enforcement backlogs, and public concern over costs justify a redesigned system. They believe that the UK’s current provisions-long-term protection, broad access to support, and slow removals-create a “pull factor,” making the UK more attractive than neighbouring states.
Supporters of the reforms view them as restoring order and aligning the UK with stricter European policies. Critics are likely to focus on the long-term uncertainty refugees may face, the restrictiveness of temporary protection, and the potential tension with international obligations. Much will depend on how the new system is legislated, how it is implemented, and how courts respond when the new rules are tested.
How LawSentis Can Help
At LawSentis, we provide regulated, expert guidance on every aspect of the UK asylum and immigration system. As a UK-based IAA Level 3 regulated firm, we can:
- Assess how the new asylum rules may affect your case
- Advise on protection claims, appeals, and refusals
- Assist with challenging removals, fresh claims, and human rights arguments
- Support refugees seeking to switch into work or study routes
- Guide families through sponsorship options under the new system
- Provide full representation before the Home Office and Tribunal
If you need tailored advice or wish to discuss your asylum or immigration situation, you can book a confidential consultation anytime.